One will not find the names of Songhai men or women listed among those of the great artists of the world such as De Vinci, Monet, or Renoir… This does not, however, mean that the Songhai are without any form of art or incapable of artistic expression. Au contraire!!
Their art is expressed as they live out their daily lives.
The Songhai’s love of color is evident in the vast palette of vivid hues and bold prints that paint their clothing, homes, and boats.
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The joy they find in form is expressed in the texturing of the walls of their homes, in the sculpting of clay pots, and in the embellishment of their dwellings’ doors and windows.
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Their appreciation of beauty is communicated in their elaborate hair weaving, intricate henna tattooing, and imaginative jewelry crafting.
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Male storytellers weave oral, historical documents as other artisans weave grass mats, baskets, and cotton cloth. Only the best of the best of tea brewers can create tall heads of foam with each serving, and it definitely takes special talent to master this technique.
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Women express their artistic nature as they make delicious bread and tiny noodles, sometimes literally creating a meal from nothing to feed their families. Their love for rhythm is expressed as groups of women prepare grain by pounding out a complicated, syncopated beat of hand claps, tongue clicks and deep, heart-resounding thumping with their mortars and pestles.
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Songhai children use their great imagination to make toys from anything cast off—turning trash into treasures. A cardboard juice box can form the base of a truck and four tomato cans can become the wheels… add a millet stalk to push it around, and an afternoon can be filled with joy overflowing! It is a bit like Cinderella’s fairy godmother that turned the pumpkin and mice into transportation to the prince’s ball!!
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Yes, they are a very artistic people.
Their art takes form and expression from their activities of daily living. In return, their art gives life and joy and pleasure to moments in each day.
SW 4/09